18 Best Office Lighting Options For Optimal Productivity [2023]

The fluorescent lights overhead flicker, casting a harsh, cold light that makes you think of a hospital operating room instead of a dynamic hybrid workspace. It’s hardly the atmosphere to inspire creativity and productivity — and you decide that things need to change.

While it’s often overlooked, office lighting can affect everything from an employee’s mood and morale to their health and productivity. In fact, recent survey data suggests office lighting can have notable impacts on employee satisfaction, alertness, comfort, and safety.

Fortunately, we’re here to combat this issue, exploring the best office lighting as of 2023.

Quick Summary

• Poorly designed lighting in the workplace can negatively impact employee well-being, productivity, and morale.
• To choose the optimal office lighting, consider factors like bulb type, color temperature settings, brightness, computer placement, and natural light sources.
• For ideal office lighting, aim for a brightness level of 300 lux, a color temperature of 3500K–5500K, and a combination of ambient and direct lighting.
• 18 lighting products we recommend for different types of office environments.

Ready to learn how office lighting can increase productivity and give your hybrid employees a reason to come into the office?

Let’s begin.

Why Is the Right Office Lighting Important?

In order to thrive and be productive in the workplace, employees need to be comfortable. The right office lighting can create an environment that’s more conducive to working.

Poorly designed workplaces can lead to a range of employee health complaints, which can negatively impact employee well-being and overall productivity. In fact, recent survey data cites lighting as a common trigger factor for migraine sufferers.

Poor lighting can create an unpleasant work environment and deter hybrid employees from leaving their comfortable home office setup to come into the office.

How to Choose the Best Office Lighting

While standards for international lighting do exist, they’re not set in stone and function more as best practice recommendations than law.

To choose the best office light fixtures for your team, it’s still better to understand what good lighting is and the elements that you need to create the best outcome for your scenario.

Make sure to check out the following variables before you change your office lights:

• Type of light
• Artificial lighting vs natural lighting
• Bulb type
• Color temperature settings
• Brightness options
• Cost and budget
• Computer placement

Types of Lighting

Ever walked into a room and felt instantly alert and focused or relaxed and calm without really knowing why? Chances are the room’s lighting had a lot to do with it!

There are four different types of lighting you can use in your hybrid office. Direct light is ideal for precision work, as it casts a focused beam where it’s needed. Then there’s indirect light. Imagine the subtle glow of a room lit by a fireplace — soothing and relaxed.

Direct-indirect light is a combination of the first two; it’s your all-rounder, providing task lighting and softly diffused ambient light. Lastly, you could opt for shielded light, which offers glare-free, evenly distributed illumination.

The most comfortable office lighting is one that combines all four of these types.

Artificial Light vs Natural Light

Natural sunlight, with its balanced tones, offers warm lighting and supports a positive mood, productivity, and health by regulating circadian rhythms. Unfortunately, however, it isn’t always accessible — and when it is, it can cause computer glare.

Artificial light, on the other hand, can be quite a cool light. Thanks to smart technology, it’s adjustable in intensity and color and can now simulate natural light, boosting alertness and sociability.

Used strategically, especially in windowless workspaces, artificial becomes a healthful productivity tool. It’s best to use LED lights that are around 4000K/4500K and 1000–1500 lumens.

Bulb Type, Color, and Temperature

The best bulb type, color, and temperature for an office depend on the purpose of the space and the desired atmosphere. Here are four different bulb types and how they perform in an office setting:

Fluorescent bulbs: Often produce harsh lighting, can cause eye strain and headaches, and are typically used in commercial and industrial spaces.

LED bulbs: Can be used to mimic natural daylight, with a color temperature of around 4000K/4500K.

Incandescent bulbs: Can be too warm and yellow for an office environment.

Halogen light bulbs: Emit a bright, white light and can be too harsh for an office environment.

Brightness

How bright is too bright for office lighting? When is lighting too poor?

OSHA standards recommend the amount of light in an office to be at least 300 lux for maximum effectiveness, productivity, and health.

Cost

With bulbs often running for over 14 hours a day, lighting consumes around 18% of electricity in buildings — making cost a major factor when considering the design of your office lighting.

Install motion sensors, timers, and dimmers to reduce cost and gain more control over your electricity consumption.

Computer Placement

Here are some ways that computer placement can impact office lighting:

• Glare: Positioning the computer screen perpendicular to the windows and using anti-glare filters can help reduce glare.
• Reflection: Moving the screen away from direct light sources and using matte screens can help reduce reflection.
• Lighting level: Balance the brightness of the computer screen with the ambient lighting in the room to avoid eye strain. The recommended amount of light for an office is at least 300 lux, and the best color temperature is between 3500K and 5500K, with 4000K being the most recommended.
• Positioning: Position your screen at eye level, with the user a comfortable distance away.

Improve Your Office’s Productivity With a Well-Lit Workspace

There’s a lot to consider when choosing the best lighting for offices — and sometimes, you might feel like you’re groping in the dark.

But remember, lighting is more than just fixtures and lumens. It’s about creating a workspace that allows your team to work safely, comfortably, and productively.

Of course, lighting isn’t all that impacts your team’s ability to perform. Beyond an ergonomic work environment, they also need the right processes and tools for effective hybrid workplace management..

OfficeRnD Hybrid is easy to set up and use, well-integrated, and reliable hybrid workplace management software. It’ll positively impact your workplace by, boosting collaboration, and allowing you to track and measure adoption, retention, and resource utilization in a cost-efficient way.

So if you’re ready to maximize your team’s productivity above and beyond office lighting, why not start for free with OfficeRnD Hybrid? No credit card, required, no strings attached.

FAQ

What Type of Lighting Is Best for an Office?

For a typical office, the best type of lighting is a combination of widely dispersed light sources and direct task lighting. The brightness level should be at least 300 lux, and the color temperature between 3500K and 5500K — with 4000K being ideal.

What’s the Best Office Lighting for the Eyes?

The best office lighting for the eyes has a minimum brightness level of 300 lux and a color temperature of 3500K–5500K, and it includes a combination of ambient and direct lighting.

Is a Desk Lamp Better Than a Floor Lamp?

Both desk lamps and floor lamps can be effective for office lighting, and the choice between them depends on personal preference and the workplace’s specific needs.

What is the Best LED Light for Office Work?

The best LED light for office work offers a balance between brightness and comfort, typically falling within the 4000K to 5000K color temperature range. This ensures clear visibility without causing eye strain. Additionally, adjustable brightness settings and a high Color Rendering Index (CRI) are essential for accurate color perception and adaptability to various tasks.

Are LED Lights Better for Office?

Yes, LED lights are preferred for offices because they are energy-efficient, have a longer lifespan, and provide consistent, flicker-free illumination, reducing eye strain and fatigue during prolonged work.

What Color Light is Best for Office Space?

For office spaces, a neutral white light in the 4000K to 5000K color temperature range is ideal. It promotes alertness, supports concentration, and offers accurate color representation, making it suitable for a productive work environment.

What is the Best Light for a Dark Office?

For a dark office, it’s essential to choose a bright LED light with a high-lumen output. Opting for a neutral to cool white color temperature (4000K to 5000K) can simulate daylight, enhancing visibility and focus. Additionally, consider layering with task lighting to address specific work areas and reduce shadows.

Here’s how to decide which lighting option will enhance productivity, creativity, and overall well-being

Take a midday walk on a sunny workday and you’ll experience firsthand how lighting can affect your mood and productivity. Recent research in ergonomics—the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment—shows that this phenomenon is not just in your head. 

In fact, a full one-third of workers would be happier at work if they had better lighting in the office, according to a 2018 international survey conducted by Staples. An overwhelming 80 percent of employees said that having good lighting in an office was important to them. Finding the best office lighting has, with good reason, become a top priority for design teams and office managers. 

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Office lighting and productivity 

Whether an office’s light source is natural, artificial, bright and blue, or dim and yellow, the type of light that employees are exposed to not only impacts mood, circadian rhythms, and physical health but also affects productivity and creativity. “There are a lot of interesting studies around the nature of your environment and how it affects your brain’s ability to perceive and function in different ways,” says Star Davis, who heads up WeWork’s global team of dedicated lighting specialists. 

On the plus side, Davis explains, “Having lights around allows people to be more creative and have more creative ideas.” Creatively, you are at your best when you are well rested, alert, and energized, and the right lighting can put you in the right state. But lighting that is too dim can strain your eyes and make you feel drowsy and tired. Too-bright lighting, on the other hand, can be harsh on your eyes, mess with your sleep, and trigger symptoms of migraines. “If your brain is working extra hard to fill in the blanks, it causes fatigue and impairs your ability to be creative and productive,” Davis says. 

Choosing the best office lighting 

With so many kinds of light colors and fixtures, it can be tough to determine what type of lighting is best for the office. These tips and guidelines should direct you toward office lighting that will keep your employees inspired, engaged, and healthy. 

LED versus fluorescent office lights

In recent years, LED lights have come into favor as an energy-efficient alternative to fluorescent lights. While LED lights may be slightly more expensive than fluorescent ones, when used in an office, they’re likely to save a company money in the long term. This is because LED lights generally have a longer lifespan than fluorescent lights and don’t use excess energy in the form of infrared radiation the way fluorescent lights do. 

WeWork White Square in Moscow.

LED lights can also be beneficial to the health of employees. Although it’s unlikely that fluorescent lights could cause migraines, they may trigger symptoms of migraines in people who are predisposed to them. Because employees often stay at the office past sundown, fluorescent lights can also interfere with sleep patterns by inhibiting the production of melatonin. LED lights, on the other hand, can usually be dimmed to match the time of day and the season, making them a better choice for the health of employees. 

Make the most of natural light

Employees who were exposed to natural light in the office reported an 84 percent drop in eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision, according to research by the department of design and environmental analysis at Cornell University. Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine also showed that exposure to natural light helps regulate hormones and keeps your circadian rhythm in check, helping employees sleep soundly at night and work productively the next day.

“When designing buildings, we take into consideration the ceiling height, orientation of the building, latitude, and neighboring building obstructions,” in order to maximize the impact of direct sunlight, says Davis. Areas with windows are typically designated for common areas rather than for private offices, so that as many people as possible can have access to natural light.  

If your office is windowless, consider skylights, like the one in WeWork Prestige Central, our latest HQ building based in Bengaluru, India, which features a large skylight and materials that radiate the light.

WeWork 450 Park Ave S in New York City.

Color and temperature of office lighting 

The color and temperature of office lighting should vary based on the function of the space. “The right amount of light and the health implications of different spectrums and intensity of light are tremendously important and are elements we consider in our design,” Davis says. 

In general, warmer yellow or orange lights tend to be better for relaxing, whereas cooler blue and white lights are good for working, waking up, and concentrating. If possible, the lighting temperature and color should vary based on the time of day. In the morning, light should ideally be brighter and cooler, to help employees stay alert and concentrate. As the day goes on, the lighting should be warmer, helping employees to wind down. 

WeWork One Culver in Los Angeles.

How bright is too bright for office lighting? 

“In terms of brightness, the most important thing to consider is the task that you’re doing,” Davis says. It makes sense to have common areas and kitchens drenched in natural light, as this light is diffuse, and employees aren’t usually looking at screens in these settings. 

In workspaces, however, we are limited by our technology. “The light from the laptops and desktops is nowhere near the power and brightness of the sun, so the brightness of natural light can overwhelm what we’re able to see [on laptop screens],” Davis says. This is why desks and workspaces require a more controlled environment—one in which some of the intensity of the sun is blocked out or diffused. 

Office lights for saving energy

Energy-efficient light bulbs worth using include LED, halogen incandescents, and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Another way to save energy is to set up motion-sensored lights in areas that are used periodically, like bathrooms, basements, and supply closets. Putting lights on a timer can help save money by ensuring that they aren’t left on when no one is in the room. Also, installing dimmers allows you to turn down the lights when your work doesn’t require maximum brightness. 

The power of the right light 

At WeWork, “our lighting team’s breadth of experience and technical knowledge allow us to dive really deep, whether it’s to energize and create a productive working space or a relaxation zone,” says Jenny Werbell, a senior lighting lead who works closely with Davis. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the bright world of lighting, Davis recommends Sarah Williams Goldhagen’s book Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives, which is filled with studies that speak to the importance of environmental design on overall well-being.

Jenna Wilson is a senior associate on the social media team at WeWork and a writer for Ideas by We. She writes about impact, sustainability, and WeWork’s employees around the world.

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